Aitutaki year 1989 Space / 1st Moon Landing MNH stamps
The first manned moon landing, known as Apollo 11, occurred on July 20, 1969. It was a historic event in human history, marking the culmination of years of effort and research in space exploration. Apollo 11 was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969, atop a Saturn V rocket. After traveling approximately 240,000 miles (386,000 kilometers) to the moon, the lunar module, named Eagle, separated from the command module. On July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the Eagle while Michael Collins remained in orbit around the moon aboard the command module, Columbia. At 20:17 UTC on July 20, 1969, the lunar module Eagle touched down on the moon’s surface in the region known as the Sea of Tranquility. Neil Armstrong radioed the famous words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” After spending about 21 hours on the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the command module, where they reunited with Collins. Apollo 11 safely returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
